My Art History and Philosophy
By Martin Scott

Nationality: British

I have had a total of eight exhibitions in France(Paris) and Japan(Osaka and Kobe) and my work has included portraits, nudes, landscapes, seascapes and abstracts in oils, pastels, ink and pencil; I now live near the sea on an island south of Kobe, where I am surrounded by nature; my pictures are mainly seascapes, landscapes and rural settings in pastel, charcoal, pen and pencil, with only a few oil paintings. I use soft pastels for most of my paintings, but I also use hard pastels, charcoal and ink in varying degrees.

 
I have had no formal training in art. I studied the techniques of the great masters, especially the impressionists. .I was greatly influenced by Cezanne, Monet and Turner landscapes and seascapes.

I prefer to record my own impressions by painting from memory, rather than by setting up an easel at the scene and sketching every detail. I always try to capture the essence, or the atmosphere of a scene. In my case, too much attention to detail is inhibiting, but some carefully selected details, sparingly used, can help to enhance the overall visual effect of the picture.

I had always wanted to travel on the Trans-Siberian Railway ever since I was at school, when I read a book by Peter Fleming(brother of Ian Fleming of James Bond fame) in which he describes his travels on the Trans-Siberian Railway and for a long time I had wanted to see first hand, the paintings of Sesshu an d other famous Japanese artists.
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After spending five years in Paris, I booked a one-way ticket from Paris to Yokohama(Japan), via French Railways to Moscow, the Trans Siberian Railway from Moscow to Nahodka and a Russian ship from Nahodka to Yokohama. The journey took two weeks in all, an eventful fortnight which is another story that mostly had nothing to do with art except for the changing scenery as the train travelled slowly across the length of the Soviet Union. Some of the views glimpsed from the train, especially in Siberia, provided inspiration for future paintings in Japan.

My first exhibition in Japan was in Osaka. It was a joint exhibition with Bernard Buffet and several other artists, including myself. This was the only time I had an exhibition with a famous artist! I am not a great fan of Bernard Buffet, but I must admit that the presence of some of his paintings was a big draw, attracting many visitors to the gallery. I was able to sell over half the paintings I exhibited.

I now live in the deep countryside in Awaji, south of Kobe in a small village near the sea. I have set up my studio and I hope to produce many more pictures in the years to come. (Click Here for Map showing studio location)

Martin Scott
April 13th 2008